Royalty AU
by Readergirl37
Summary: The prompt for this story is: Will you marry me? Also, surprise, I'm actually foreign royalty. Elejah.
1. Chapter 1

AN: The prompt for this chapter is: Will you marry me? Also, surprise, I'm actually foreign royalty. The country the Mikaelsons have is fictional. Also I don't know where the hell this went. Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

She smiles at him, careful not to wake him as she gets out of bed and gets ready for the day. Sleeping Elijah is too rare for her to interrupt, he's always so busy that she's surprised he has time for sleep or her. But he carves out time for her, and sometimes for sleep. She lets the coffee start to brew as she grabs her purse. Elena carefully shuts the door and walks out of their apartment. Elijah will be awake in thirty minutes give or take, it's just enough time to get doughnuts from their favorite bakery down the street.


	2. Chapter 2

She likes Elijah and she likes their routine. Sometimes she can't believe he's real, he's perfect but he's called her that quite a few times too, and she smiles as she remembers it on the walk back. The walk back to the apartment always seems longer, but she knows it isn't. She carefully walks up the stairs, back to their door. Mystic Falls has always had the title of home to her, but this is a very close tie. Not even the apartment, just Elijah, wherever he is means home. It's almost scary, they haven't known each other for more than a year, but they're serious about each other. He's The One, as Caroline would say. Caroline is right. There have been so many secrets kept from her, she's glad that Elijah is honest with her.

She opens the door and carefully enters, the coffee is done brewing and she sets the bag of doughnuts on the counter and pours two cups. An arm wraps around her waist and she relaxes into it. It's Elijah, and it's confirmed when he presses a quick kiss to her shoulder.

"Good morning." He says and she smiles. It is a very good morning, she thinks as she points out the coffee and doughnuts. Elijah removes his arm from her waist and moves to the coffee.

"Very good morning." Elena notes and a smile pulls at his lips before he takes a sip of coffee. He swallows and sets it down. His happy expression turns serious and she's worried. Elijah never looks so solemn here, that's for everywhere but their apartment. She wants to ask but he speaks before she does.

"I have something to tell you and a question. Which one do you want first?"

"What do you need to tell me?" Elena asks, her voice miraculously steady. A million scenarios flash through her mind as he begins off with an apology. An apology for lying to her. Elena freezes as he begins to explain, she knows of the little Scandinavian country he was born in. He's actually royalty from that country he tells her honestly, and he keeps talking and she only has one instinct.

Elena bolts, her purse is next to the door and she's out. Gone.

"Fuck." Elijah whispers. The box is still in his pocket, and he dials a familiar number.

"I know you're going to hate me but hear me out. I just need you to tell me if Elena contacts you within the next few hours." He begins and Caroline mutters a sarcastic comment under her breath.

"What did you do?" She asks and he tells her that he surprised Elena with a secret and Caroline swears at him. He doesn't interrupt her, he knows he deserves it, and letting Caroline do things her own way is the only way she'll work with him.

"You know she runs when she's surprised. I'm going to hang up so I can be ready when she calls." Caroline says and hangs up before he can thank her. She knows Elena, it's a matter of when and not if.


	3. Chapter 3

She doesn't know where she is when she stops running but there's a sign for an unfamiliar park and she needs to breathe. Elena walks slowly trying to catch her breath. She sits on a park bench as grass bends underneath her shoes. Tears come out as she takes a shuddering breath and she digs through her purse. If she doesn't want to go back to Elijah for a while, she'll be okay. She has her wallet, water, and protein bars. She looks through her purse for a few more moments, glad she didn't wear more than mascara.

"Fuck." She whispers to the wind, she left her keys. If she wants to go back to the apartment she has to rely on Elijah to let her in. She finds her phone and hits speed dial as she tries to find a tissue.


	4. Chapter 4

The doughnuts had looked so inviting before he had opened his mouth, the coffee had been perfectly brewed. Now he can't look at food and single sip of coffee he tries tastes like ash in his mouth. If she hates him, he'll apologize and leave even though the thought hurts every fiber of him. He's an idiot, he's a complete idiot, he knows. Elena is completely justified in whatever she feels and he looks at his phone when it beeps with the tone Caroline had set it with when she put her contact information in after introducing herself as Elena's best friend and then threatened him with dismemberment if he ever hurt Elena all in one breath.

Elijah reads the text. Elena called Caroline and was crying. She's in a park and in one piece, and then there are some nasty names Caroline calls him but it's justified. He hurt Elena. Caroline doesn't have much family left and loves Elena fiercely. He understands that. Elena runs and does not like to be chased, she needs time to cool down and think. It's just a waiting game until Elena decides she wants to return to the apartment. Elijah can wait, he'd wait a ridiculous amount of time for Elena, and so he stays in the apartment and does just that.


	5. Chapter 5

Caroline's always the one who has to deal with the aftermath of people hurting Elena. She's always the one Elena calls, Elena ran to her house when she found out she was adopted. Elena called Caroline when she was trying to breathe through the tears to tell Caroline that her real mother didn't love her and didn't want anything to do with her, even though she promised she did. This time is different, and Caroline knows it.

"Do you want me to come get you?" She asks and Elena tells her no. Her stomach is growling and she's tired and she just wants to get this over with. She needs to talk to Elijah and clear the air. She gets up from the park bench and begins to walk, the sunset racing her to Elijah.

If he never wants to see her again or move out then she'll move on, she thinks distantly. If he wants to tear her apart, if it's a joke, then she'll know. She'll be able to come up with a plan when she knows.

She's not aware of it, but she starts running, running until she thinks her lungs are on fire, and then she's up the familiar stairs and slamming her fist against the front door. _Their_ front door, she thinks distantly. It swings open, and she's trying to catch her breath and her mascara ran hours ago, and she realizes she doesn't look remotely pretty. Elijah still looks at her like he always does and she allows him to help her inside. She's working on catching her breath, it felt so urgent for her to get this out and to be home. Home isn't a place, home is a person and she knows that's dangerous.

Elena moves to the kitchen past the untouched doughnuts and to the sink to get a glass of water. She knows Elijah's watching, she's always been able to tell when he does. She drinks it and a jumbled mass of words and thoughts try to form a cohesive thought but as she sets the empty glass down she just says what comes out.

"You were serious." It's not a question, but he nods, and tells her he was being honest. There's even a page pulled up on his laptop, and it proves it.

"Why?" Why did he lie, why did he hide it, why did he decide to tell her when he knew she would run?

"I gave my word that I would keep it secret until I knew I was sure I was with the right person." Elijah says and she frowns. Elijah is so dedicated with keeping his word that she knows he's not lying.

"Right person for what?" Somehow her voice is steady and he takes a deep breath.

"The right person to spend the rest of my life with, if they'd have me." She's never seen Elijah look so vulnerable and she doesn't want him but she can't let _that_ dictate _this_ even though it weighs on it.

"We're good at making deals, aren't we Elijah?" She asks, staring at something on the wall, she looks away as she waits for his answer.

"We are." He acknowledges cautiously.

"Here's my deal for us to move past this. You tell me everything you've left out and we're open and honest with this and see where it goes." It's the best she can come up with while her head and heart are a mess.

She has let go of several people who have lied to her, she's let go of almost every single one, but the thought of letting of of Elijah causes something in her chest to hurt, and her lungs to stop working. Elijah has too much, too much of her with him. He has her heart and her secrets and her love, and she can't just can't throw it all away over this.

"Thank you." She can feel the gratitude radiating off Elijah, and she nods. She walks to their bathroom and wipes off her ruined makeup, and puts her purse in their bedroom, on top of her desk. Elijah's still waiting on the couch, so patient, she thinks. He swallows when she sits next to him on the couch and tucks her feet underneath her.

He begins with his childhood and she listens as the sun sets. Elena stops him when he pauses to take a breath and asks if he wants dinner, her stomach is growling and he suggests take out. He didn't eat either. He's nervous, he hasn't been at someone's mercy in years, he escaped his father a decade ago and never looked back. She smiles at him and he feels himself relax. He wonders if Elena knows the amount of power she wields. He has so much power and influence, and she has power over him.


	6. Chapter 6

They order pizza, and as they wait, she puts her head on his shoulder as he talks. He gets up to pay for the pizza, he wants to stretch his legs and his wallet is closer. It's almost like an ordinary day, but it's not Elena reminds herself. There are so many times they've done this, she gets the plates and Elijah pays and she wonders what he's thinking.

They settle back on the couch, and eat in silence for a few minutes. Elijah sets his piece of pizza down, and looks at her.

"I know it is unfair of me to ask, but do you think you'll forgive me someday?" He just needs to know, the thought is eating away at him. She frowns.

"I forgive you. You hurt me, but that doesn't mean I don't love you. I still want you, I want this, I want us. You keep your word and I can't fault you for that. I'm just not sure where we go from here." Elena takes a bite of pizza, and he stares at her for a moment.

Just like that, it's gone. He's known dozens of people who would have taunted him with the idea of forgiveness, the idea of having something over him is so tempting to so many. He realizes that his mouth has been partially open since she finished speaking and she looks at him with concerned eyes.

"Do you know how unique you are?" He asks and she arches an eyebrow.

"Unique for what?" Elena asks.

"Your heart is so big, Elena. I have met very few people who forgive so easily." Elena is a rarity, and beautiful internally and externally. There's another question that begins to press on him, but the weight in his pocket can wait.

"Right." She remembers the stories he had told her from his childhood, it was not as happy as hers. There's a moment of silence and she takes a breath, the air feels heavy.

"I'm sorry." The thought of having so much pressure on anyone so young is upsetting. Children are meant to be children, and not adults. She wonders how much of a childhood Elijah actually had, and she wants to ask him to continue telling her about his life before they met. He frowns as his brow furrows.

"For what?" He inquires.

"It sounds like you were shoved into adulthood early and I'm sorry. Every kid should be allowed to be a kid and I'm sorry you didn't get to have a normal childhood." She says and he looks at her again, with that familiar look she's seen dozen of times before. She's never been able to tell what it means.

She's so amazing, he thinks. He thanks her, but it's fine. It was expected, he did what he needed to do. He begins again, and she listens.

* * *

The pizza's gone by the time he finishes, she's leaning into him on the couch and trying not to close her eyes. He opens his mouth to try to say something, maybe they should sleep somewhere other than the couch, but he closes his eyes when she does.


	7. Chapter 7

He wakes up alone, a pillow under his head and his jacket and phone are missing. There's a familiar quilt over him, it's something Elena's had since she was a teenager. Her mother taught her how to quilt, and this was one of the first ones Elena attempted to make after she died. If he had a mother who was capable of love, he might have called her with the urgency he feels for a moment, life is so fragile and people die every day. Instead, he carefully directs that feeling to Elena.

It's amazing, the power she wields at her fingertips. He used to do everything exactly as he was taught, but she convinced him to break that, to eat pizza on the couch and he's forgotten how to do the things he used to do. He's forgotten how to live life by the rules that were drilled into him, that echoed in his ears for years.

He just wants to make her happy, he wants her to be happy and he knows he'd do anything. Elijah would even walk away if that would make her happy even at the expense of his own heart. Elena deserves that and more.

* * *

Elena's gone, but her things are still there. It's not like her to run with her things still there, she must be coming back. He takes a shower in the time she's gone, and thinks about the future, their future. Elena thought they had a future, or at the very least she wanted to see where they could go from yesterday. Elena's not a liar, and when he heads to the kitchen while he works on his tie, he notices bagels, and coffee where Elena always sets them. There's a familiar hand pressing against his back for a moment, and then Elena slips around to gently move his hands away.

"It'll be crooked." She says and his hands drop to his sides. Only Elena, he thinks. If someone else had touched him, they could have ended up on their back, looking at him from the floor. He's actually lethal, he's reminded himself a few times as he's relaxed around Elena. She's the only person he never thinks like that around. He can recognize her touch, her perfume, her yawn, he can recognize every part of Elena and he knows she knows the same about him.

Elena has the ability to destroy him beyond recognition, but she wouldn't try to hurt him. If Elena wanted to kill him, she's had plenty of opportunities she didn't take advantage of.

"I thought we could do breakfast before I meet with my editor." She says and lets go of his tie. He has things he needs to do too, but she wants to do breakfast with him.

"I would love that." He never checks what he says around Elena because even if the words come out wrong or he says them in the wrong order, she understands. Elena doesn't correct him, like so many others. That'll be in their future, he thinks. Eventually this will end and they will have to announce their engagement and give up their privacy. He picks up his coffee and thanks her, she lets him sleep in too much, he was used to being sleep deprived before Elena.

Then Elena stuns him, his lovely Elena, says that she loves him, but not in English. The first language he ever learned rolls off her tongue easily and he sets down his coffee to kiss her.

She learned that to make him smile but she's not opposed to his reaction. She wonders if she's the only one who's ever been this close to him, Elijah was closed off and distant with high walls when they met. She can't blame him, but they do need to eat breakfast so they break apart and she gets out the cream cheese.

He never thought he'd ever get to have normality, a routine he could choose, so much of his life has been dictated to him, and he went with it. He spreads cream cheese on their bagels, hers is chocolate chip and his involves some kind of salty cheese he likes that she orders for him every time. Being away from home means so much less pressure.

They eat and watch the street traffic in comfortable silence, and then she finishes, and sips her coffee.

"You were going to ask me to marry you, weren't you?" Elena asks abruptly and he tries not to choke on his bagel. Elijah swallows and nods.

"I was." He says and she smiles at him. She's not new to dating, she's dated quite a few people but she's never felt the need to be with someone like this before and she knows she can't let him go. Life is short, she's almost died too many times to get freaked out over the little things anymore. She could die tomorrow, she could die when she's over a century old but she doesn't want to waste time she might not have. She's thought this over, and thought of this for a while now. She wants Elijah, she wants this, and she wants him not matter what that means.

"Do you have a ring?" She inquires and he gets the box out before he can think twice, Elena has a way of turning off the instincts that were drilled into him since before he could speak.

"I do." He confirms unnecessarily. The box stays in his hand but she asks him to ask her. It takes a moment for it to register, but he gets down on one knee and asks.

"Elena Gilbert, will you marry me?" He has her hand in his and the box opens and she smiles at him. He isn't aware that he's tensing up.

"Yes. A million times over." She says and then he has his arms full with a happy Elena who's holding onto him like her life depends on it and he smiles. Not marrying him isn't a mistake she can afford to make, he's the one person she's ever actually run back to. Elijah might be the only person except for Caroline that she would forgive and run back to, but she loves Caroline like a sister and she needs Elijah to know she's not going anywhere.

"I love you." She says simply and they stay like that, and she feels his hand moving across her back to put the ringer on her finger. He helps her up after he slides the ring onto her finger. It's on the ring finger of her left hand and she smiles at him.

"I have a ring for you too, but you're going to have to wait for a moment." It's somewhere hidden in their closet and she has to think about where it is. She lets go of him and sees the ring fully.

"Oh my god, Elijah it's so beautiful." The words escape from her lips and he looks pleased with himself, she wants to kiss the smirk on his lips but he begins speaking.

"It's been in my family for a little under a century and I had the stone reset and the metal fit to your ring size." He says and she smiles at him and then he remembers she has a ring for him as well. She takes his hand, and leads him to their closet. Elijah has no idea what she's doing until she pulls out a similar box to the one on the counter in the kitchen and she slides the ring onto his finger and he looks at it.

"Not to ruin the moment, but is this platinium?" He inquires and she nods.

"Great minds think alike." He says and gestures to her ring and she laughs too.

Elena looks at her watch.

"I love you, but I need to meet my editor, I'll let you know when I'll be back." She says, kissing him on the cheek, she does need to hurry.


	8. Chapter 8

"Who's the ring from, Gilbert?" Her editor wonders and Elena brushes it off.

"I'll be done with this in two days, and it's private. For now." Elena keeps her voice low in the coffee shop they always meet at, full of people who are working on their laptops and the news plays.

"King Mikael has died today, at the age of sixty-five, as the ruler of a-" Elena hears and her head turns faster than she thought was possible. Her eyes fly to the screen and she only has one thought.

"Don't get a crick in your neck." Her advisor jokes, taking a drink of her iced coffee.

"I have to go, I'll call-" Elena trails off.

"I'll call soon." She says, picking up her laptop bag and practically runs out of the shop. She can hear her editor protest, it doesn't matter, she doesn't matter, the book doesn't matter, she needs to get to Elijah.

* * *

She opens the door with her right hand, careful of her left, and calls his name.

"Elijah!" Oh god, his father is dead. Did he know? Will she be the one who has to tell him? Is he even home? Too many thoughts crowd her mind as she shuts the door and finds him in the living room on the couch. Elijah has the ability to stay completely still for long amounts of time, and she drops her laptop bag on a pillow and wraps her arms around him as she sits next to him.

"I am so sorry." She says quietly, and he relaxes as she puts her face in his neck.

"My mother called a few minutes after you left. He was flown to the hospital and died in surgery." Elijah says, reciting the words factually. He sounds distant, and she wants to comfort him but she doesn't know what to say.

"What can I do?" She asks and he exhales.

"We need to go to the funeral. I know I should feel some modicum of grief, but honestly I think you're more distressed by this than I am." Elijah admits and she nods. Right. Mikael was not a good father and Elijah's justified in how he feels about his death. The funeral, she remembers. The funeral that'll be with his royal siblings and mother in a different country.

"This changes everything, doesn't it?" She asks, pulling back to look at him. This means she'll meet his family, they won't have this normal life they've been happy with for a few months. He nods, and she wonders where his thoughts are.

"I'll make a few calls, we need to leave within the hour." He wanted to wait until she was done with her editor, his future wife is a very successful author after all, but she came home early. His mother demanded he come home as soon as he could, and ignoring that could have horrible consequences. He makes a list of the people he needs to call mentally.

"I'm just glad I proposed before you met either of my parents." Elijah says, and she tells him that usually the opposite is normal in American culture.

"My parents can be enough for anyone to do anything." He warns and she knows he's serious. She moves off the couch and pecks him on the cheek.

"I'm going to pack, and you need to make those calls and then we're going to talk about this before I meet your family." Elena says. Elijah can easily agree to that.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Dedicated to Caitlin, but so is everything I write. Reminder that this is how I interpret human elejah in this situation.

* * *

She packs a few dresses and the essentials. Elena wonders when they'll be back home, not that she has to be back soon, but she's going to miss their apartment. Elijah's suitcase is already packed, surely more suits, she thinks. She had just convinced him a few weeks ago that he could be casual at home, she'll miss that too. Elena has a few phone calls to make.

"Caroline, I have a few things I need to tell you." She begins when she hears the blonde answer her phone. She needs to tell Caroline and Jeremy, they're her only family left and they can be trusted to keep things secret. Besides, Elijah trusts her best friend with their apartment and Elena wants them to find out through her rather than the news. Oh god, she might be on the news. She takes a deep breath and readies herself for this.

* * *

A limousine of all things picks them up, and there are men in black suits already in it. One helps her into the car and Elijah sits next to her. The drive to the private airport is quiet, they aren't affectionate in front of other people very often, something that they're both thankful for. They already said what they needed to say before the limousine appeared, he knows who she called and she knows who he called. He promises no secrets and she promises the same. They both know their rings do not escape anyone's notice, and she wonders when the next time they'll have a private conversation is.

Elena knows, she knows about his cruel parents and the nannies and tutors that raised him with his siblings. She knows about the rare disease that killed Henrik as they watched the hospital room and the entire country held their breath hoping, praying for the youngest prince's health. She also knows Henrik's birthday is in less than a week, he'd be twenty two if he lived through it. She knows his siblings and parents already knew about her, her presence will not be a surprise but their engagement might be.

She knows Elijah is dreading this. He briefed her on what she absolutely needed to know in the five minutes they had before the limousine arrived. He had also kissed her, and then they made sure they had everything they needed and promised he would answer every question she had when they settled in the palace.

"It's an eight hour flight, right?" Elena asks and Elijah nods. It feels like she's holding her breath, even as she exhales.

* * *

She knows everything she needs to know in the first hour of the flight, and Elijah advises her to sleep. He'll wake her up before they land and he knows she didn't drink very much of the coffee she left with her editor, she can still sleep. There have been several decisions in his lifetime he's regretted, some of them his and some of the decisions were made by others, but he does not regret Elena, he will never regret Elena and he will not allow anyone else to make that decision for him. He will marry Elena regardless of what anyone but Elena says. If Elena calls it off, he'll walk away. Elena won't call it off, that isn't like her.

"What about you?" She asks, and he tells her he'll be fine. She should try to get sleep while she still can, the palace is never truly quiet, he admits. She nods, and yawns. This has been tiring on top of the fact she didn't have any caffeine, and if he says it's okay it is. It's odd to fall asleep in an airplane with strangers and the man she's going to marry. The seat reclines and she closes her eyes.

She dreams of words she doesn't understand, and the people from the pictures Elijah showed her, and the coffee she left on the table in their city.

Elijah thinks as Elena sleeps, he drank too much coffee to try to sleep and there's too many things for him to think about for him to entertain the idea of sleep. Freya will take the throne, have Mikael's funeral and the media will wonder about Elena. He needs to talk to Freya about that, but all he can do is wait.

* * *

It's a sleepy walk to a helicopter, blurry in her memory, she remembers suits and darkness, Elijah guiding her and then light followed by dark. She could use something other than the coffee she had ten hours ago, and she mentions that to Elijah as he helps her unbuckle and get out of her seat. Elena's too tired to be overwhelmed by it all, he notes, the lights below and the guard she doesn't see would be her focus if she was able to.

He has to slip into the facade that feels uncomfortable at the edges but still familiar. Elena's tired and he will not allow anyone to judge her for that, the warning glance he gives the guards behind him is all they need to keep their mouths shut and she takes his arm as he offers it. He hasn't been to this place in years, it's not home. It never was. Home is where Elena is and where he can be himself with his siblings.

* * *

She's handed a cup of something from Elijah and she takes a sip from it. It's coffee, a jolt to her sleepy system. The mug is sleek in her hands and she takes in the details she missed without caffeine in her system. Elena feels like she's opening her eyes fully and looks at him and then the too elaborate room.

"This is our room. I need to go talk to Freya, and I will be back in half an hour." He says and she can read between the lines, so she nods. She notices her bag near the armoire and they think in the moment of silence. He kisses her forehead and she closes her eyes. Privacy will be hard to come by after the funeral he knows and she reminds him he has to go. Freya needs him, she needs all of her siblings and he knows he needs to seek out his mother over his engagement with Elena.

"If you need anything, this intercom can connect you to guards and servants. If you want to talk to Caroline or Jeremy, remember that there's a six hour time difference. I love you." The last three words slip out and he needs to be aware of what he says from now on, but it's _Elena._ She thanks him, and then he's gone.

* * *

He knows where Freya is, all of his siblings know but their mother does not. She married into their country's royalty, Mikael was raised to rule it. Esther has always known a little less than her children, but what she lacks she makes up for in other ways. Elijah walks to Freya's favorite ballroom with a confidence that ensures he isn't questioned about his destination. He moves into the empty room, the door closes neatly behind him without sound and he moves the panel of the wall he knows conceals his siblings. Several things have changed over the years, this is not one of them.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Reminder that I have seen very little of the Originals so I apologize if Freya is ooc, also New York style pizza probably counts as semi American food. Dedicated to Caitlin.

* * *

She gets food, she already misses American food and the person she asks assures her that it's not an insult. She puts her things away and waits for a few minutes before she remembers what she should do. She needs to check her phone for texts, she needs to send her editor what she meant to send hours ago, she'll ask Elijah for wifi password later though. She looks out the dark window and know Jeremy will be up if she wants to talk to him. The life of an artist, her little brother is always up no matter when she calls. She dials his number and waits for his voice. She'll call Caroline next.

* * *

"I can't believe he's gone." Freya cries, and she knows how hard her grief is on her siblings, she was their father's favorite and he was not as good to the rest of them, but he loved her.

"I don't think any of us can." Finn says sympathetically, and Freya asks, if they'll help her when she needs it, she knows how to rule but she is a mess at the moment. Her coronation is a few months away because of the grieving period they're all expected to take.

"Of course." Rebekah answers before any of them can even open their mouths.

"Thank you." Freya answers, and Elijah looks at the changes that have taken place in Freya's favorite hiding place. How the hell she managed to fit seating in such as place is beyond him.

"I know I need to start right now and say something, but I keep thinking that we'll never see him again and it keeps hitting me every time I forget." Freya admits, and Rebekah hugs her. Freya's her older sister, and it's scary to see her feel so weak, when she was younger she thought all of her older siblings were indestructible, untouchable by anything.

* * *

It seems like an age until Elijah returns, not that she minds. She's halfway through the next chapter she needs to get done soon when she hears it.

Rain begins to pour outside and the sky rumbles as she looks out the window. Elijah opens the door as thunder cracks in the sky.

"Freya is distraught, my siblings want to meet you tomorrow morning at breakfast. My mother is displeased but Freya has more power than she does. I forgot how exhausting being here is." He says, and Elena's quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry." She says, and he shakes his head.

"Don't be sorry. How are you? Did you eat?" He asks and she nods.

"I ordered pizza. It was pretty good." She tells him and a smile tugs at his lips.

"Did I ever tell you that our fifth date was the first time I had ever eaten pizza?" He's tired, some of his accent bleeds through to his voice. He used to pride himself on speaking like an American, she knew. Blending in was a skill he had perfected with language.

"You didn't." Elena answers after a moment and wonders if he can hear the rain, if it brings back the same memories or if she'll have to remind him.

Elijah moves to sit on the bed that's actually monstrous, it has to be even bigger than a full, and he closes his eyes for a moment.

"Do you hear that?" She asks and he shakes his head as she moves to sit next to him.

"Rain." She answers his unspoken question and she's rewarded with a full smile and open eyes from him.

"It always reminds me of our first date. You offered me your jacket and we thought we could make it to my apartment and we ran through it and-" Elena trails off as she sees his mouth open.

"I apologized for not remembering my umbrella and you laughed and we dried off in my apartment because it was much closer." Elijah finishes and she smiles.

"Remember that picnic date when it was raining so hard that by the time we escaped the park our shoes were muddy and we were trying so hard to get out of it and I almost tripped?" Elena asks and Elijah's grin stays.

"You told me you loved me as soon as we got out of the rain. Of course I remember." He says and listens to the sound of the rain and Elena's breathing.

"Maybe it's a sign things are going to be okay." Elena suggests, casually invading his space, head against his collar.

"Maybe." Elijah says and presses a kiss to the top of her head. Elena's right, it's going to be okay and if it isn't he'll make it okay.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Obviously I have not been married, but I do wear a ring when I sleep, but apparently tight rings are not good to wear to bed and sleeping with expensive rings on can damage them. Ergo, the odd ring bit in this chapter. Also late shout out to Elena Gilbert, it was her birthday two days ago and I tried to update on her birthday but a lot, and trust me when I say a _lot_ has been going on and my sleep schedule and writing have been taking a hit because of it. Sorry about that.

* * *

Incessant beeping wakes Elena up and she groans into her pillow. The fabric is unfamiliar, she she sits up as she remembers. This isn't their apartment, and Elijah's reaching to turn the alarm clock off.

"Morning." She yawns, her fingers find her ring on the nightstand next to her phone. She slips her ring on and grabs her phone to see if Caroline or Jeremy texted her.

"It will be a better morning when we can get coffee." Elijah says and she lets out a laugh. She needs to shower, she remembers he showered last night.

"That's very true." Elena agrees.

* * *

Breakfast is much less formal than she expected, she matches Elijah in black as guards follow them at a distance. She's seen pictures of his family before, she knows all about them, but it's odd to see them in person. Elijah introduces her to his mother first, his siblings stand to meet her. Esther's eyes are colder than Elena thought they would be, there's steel in them that she expected though. Freya is beautiful, and despite the skilled makeup Elena notices her red eyes. Finn is even more stoic than Elijah when she first met him. Finn's wife Sage has fiery hair but is calmer than Elena expected. Elena knows by looking at him that Klaus is not sad about his father's death and his quick grin reminds her of wolves. Kol looks like Elijah, and he has mischievous eyes as he speaks to her. Rebekah is the last one she is introduced to and she stares at Elena with calculating eyes that flicker to Elijah before she does anything.

* * *

Breakfast is good, it's great but Elena misses the little things. She looks at Elijah across the table and she's never seen him so tense and she almost doesn't recognize him. The dowager queen and all but two of her children have other things to attend to, and leave the room. Elijah wishes he didn't have to do this with Freya, but they need to talk to her about media coverage of the funeral. He wants Elena by his side like Sage will be near Finn. He just doesn't want any of the coverage to focus on Elena, it will be their father's funeral after all.

Freya understands why Elijah and Elena want that, she'll make sure any coverage is focused on their father and not the mourners.

"Thank you." Elijah says and she gives him a watery grin.

"You're welcome." Freya says and Elena thanks her as well. It's going to be an interesting week before the funeral.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: I saw a mug that said "My blood type is coffee" and I agreed with it.

* * *

She takes a second cup of coffee with her, and he walks with her. Elena's day has pretty much been scheduled with very little free time, he wants as much time as he can get with her.

"Elijah." She looks at him after she takes a sip of her coffee.

"Yes?" He looks at her, her tone is careful and he wonders why.

"If anything happens to me and I need a transfusion-" Elena trails off for a moment and he waits for her to continue.

"I want you to know that my blood type is coffee." She finishes and a grin pulls at his lips.

"I'll make sure that gets into your medical records." He assures her dryly and she laughs. They arrive where she's needed.

"Have fun." He says and she grins.

"It'll still probably be more fun than the meetings you'll be in. At least I just have dress fittings and lessons." Elena says and he kisses her briefly, and she nods as they pull away.

"I'll see you at dinner. I love you." She reminds him and he echoes her.

"I love you." The words are not quiet but they are not loud either, it's a hushed sort of urgency, there's not really any privacy here and he hates it. He walks away and she walks into the room where she's going to spend a few hours.

* * *

Freya addresses the nation clad in black and promises she will be the ruler the country needs, her siblings watch as she gives her speech with a clear voice despite the tears that had been in her eyes minutes earlier. Elijah looks at his sister and knows that while strangers might see a mourning woman who could be vulnerable, he sees his strong older sister. Freya rarely allows herself to be weak and it's been drilled into all of them, country first, self second.

"Did I do well?" Freya asks, it's her first speech directly to their people, and Finn and Elijah nod.

"You did very well." Finn assures her, and she gives a watery grin.

"Thank you." She says.

"Any time." Finn assures her.

* * *

Dinner is like breakfast, she doesn't mind but she knows why Elijah suddenly dislikes the next few weeks they must stay. It's so suffocating to know there's always someone close, there's always someone watching or guarding. She's asleep when he manages to escape to their room, he changes into pajamas and joins her, he needs whatever sleep he can get. His weary frame sinks next to her, he knows they both miss their apartment but anywhere Elena is, that's home.

* * *

The next few days fall into a routine, the fourth day is the worst because it's Henrik's birthday. No one speaks of it, but she makes sure before Elijah has to leave their room she gives him a long hug. He's stiff in her arms and she knows he doesn't want to talk about it, they both have pain that's too old to be spoken of easily and not properly healed scars of grief, but she holds him tightly. She's wearing heels that make her a smidge taller than he is and he puts his head in her neck and relaxes for a moment.

Elena doesn't say anything, doesn't know what he wants to hear or even what to say, but she kisses his cheek when his head moves away from her neck. Elijah does not need a romantic gesture, she's had boyfriends who tried to distract her from her grief with physical affection, dismissing her feelings and she promptly broke up with them. She doesn't always know exactly what he wants or needs but she almost always knows what he doesn't and works from there.

"Thank you." Elijah's voice is rough and he clears his throat.

"You're welcome. If you need to talk, I'm here. Or somewhere around here. If you don't want to talk I understand." She says and he nods and walks out of their room. She slips out of their room a few minutes after he does to have breakfast with Rebekah, Kol and Klaus. The funeral is in two days and Elena's not the only one dreading it.

* * *

Elijah's siblings are interesting, Rebekah threatens her and offers her a drink in the same breath. The round of shovel talks she gets are the most intense she's ever heard before in her life, and she's heard dozens of shovel talks directed to her, her friends, her brother and strangers.

"I'm not going to hurt him." Elena promises over and over.

"And if I do hurt him, you can do those things. But I love him and I don't want him hurt either." She always finishes with that.


	13. Chapter 13

AN: There has been a lot, a lot going on over here and it's been a lot to deal with and I've been dealing with it the best I can but when my happiness levels drop so does my creativity and I did not like anything I was writing for quite a while. So in other words, sorry for not posting, I'm trying my best.

* * *

They are human, nothing more and nothing less. The coffin in front of them reminds them all of that, their own humanity and vulnerability. Elena's eyes are dry as are Elijah's but as they sit she discreetly slips her hand into his. This cannot be easy and he looks so far away that she just wants to reach him in some way, in any way. He glances down and she moves to move her hand from his and his grip on her hand tightens, not uncomfortably.

He has never been affectionate in public, but he's touch starved sometimes when they're alone for even just holding hands. She moves her skirt to cover their hands, just in case. There was a moment the second night. Elena told him about after it happened, it was a moment of doubt over this and the stress, he could never give her a quiet normal life, there was scarcely peace in this lifestyle.

He looked at her with unreadable eyes as she had paused and then she told him it was too late, it was too late for her to ask him to give her heart back, he's home, the smell of his cologne mixed with her perfume that's home, with their coffee and the way they dance and move. It's too late and she couldn't take his heart with her while he kept hers, she loves him too much and it's too cruel for the both of them to love each other that much for it to not work out over something like that, it's such a stupid little detail. Neither of them can give something like that too much attention, they can't afford to.

The reality stares them in the face, Freya has the throne, after her is any possible heirs she might have, Finn and his potential children, and then Elijah. There's the possibility, it's always going to be there until they die or one of his siblings does.

Her fingers squeeze his and they sit through one of the hardest hours of Freya's life.

This will be over eventually, not quickly or slowly enough to satisfy anyone, but they can go home for a while, it's just seven days to count down.


	14. Chapter 14

It's one of the longest weeks of Elena's life but at least she gets to escape sometimes as she continues writing and working. Elijah does not get that, he's constantly subjected to talks about the state of the country. Elijah's only third in line for the throne, Elena wonders how awful it is for Freya. At night, Elijah enters their room and melts on whatever surface he can. Sometimes that's the ornate bed and other times it's the couch, and she moves her laptop so his head can rest in her lap. There are times they talk when he's like this, but she always waits until he does. Sometimes, he just needs silence and Elena can't fault him for that.

"Are you packed? We leave tomorrow." He murmurs.

"Yup. Are you sure we have to go? Will Freya be okay?" Elena asks and he nods as she sits next to him on their bed.

"She's still mourning but she'll be a capable leader. She doesn't need us as a distraction. We'll have to be back for the coronation in a few months though." Elijah reminds her and she sighs.

"When we get home, we're going to wear sweatpants and binge watch and pretend to be normal people." Elena says and he makes a noise of agreement.

* * *

They make their rounds to say goodbye to his family before they go. Elijah loves them, he does, but they drive him insane.

"Let's just stay in and never leave." He suggests as they enter their apartment.

"Sounds good in theory, not so good in practice." Elena tells him and he sighs.

"I hate it when you're right." He complains and it's nice to see her Elijah, all relaxed and mortal. There were moments in his home country that he looked powerful-untouchable-inhuman. Elijah's just a man after all. Her man, her future husband and hers to drink coffee with in the morning and steal blankets from.

"We haven't watched that Netflix original yet." Elena tells Elijah and he nods in approval as they change into comfortable clothes.

"I love you." He says and she smiles.

They're back to normal, at least for a while.


End file.
